What’s Below the Solar System’s Plane? A Cosmic Perspective

Earth’s planets orbit the Sun in a relatively flat plane called the ecliptic, and there is no universal 'down' in space—the direction depends on the scale and frame of reference: beyond the solar system, stars lie in a galactic plane inclined about 60° to the ecliptic, and galaxies lie in the supergalactic plane; traveling in the apparent 'down' would eventually take you to other stars and galaxies, illustrating that spatial orientation in the cosmos is relative rather than fixed.